The Chloe Series
by Medie
Summary: An Alternate Universe featuring an OC. See the XF characters through her eyes. (DUA series. Eventually DSR)
1. Those That Remain

TITLE: Those That Remain  
AUTHOR: M. Edison  
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)  
CATEGORY: Post-ep to Within/Without, primarily a Scullyfic  
RATING: G-PG (I'm lousy at ratings)  
SPOILERS: Within/Without  
ARCHIVE: Yes, please, just let me know first.  
SUMMARY: Upon arriving in D.C. Scully goes to visit an old friend of  
Mulder's (and her's) to talk.  
Disclaimer: The X-Files, and associated concepts & characters belong to CC  
and 1013. Chloe's mine. *G* I'm just borrowing them for a little  
while...I'll put 'em back in one piece. Hopefully happier then when they  
started out.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: There is an OC in this story and she's not going away.  
*WEG* Oh and while this story holds no Shippiness or Dippiness....there may  
be a little Doggett/Scully thing later on in the series. I like dat guy. *G*  
He made an XF fan out of me. (this story will be eventually found on my  
Miscellaneous fic page www.angelfire.com/tn/taycon/MiscFic.html )  
  
Mucho thanks to my beta reader Julie Jekel! (Queen of XF fic in my opinon.  
*G*)  
  
  
Those That Remain  
by M. Edison  
  
In the darkened room, the curly-haired woman tossed and turned. The bed  
sheets tangling around her slender body as she tried to free herself from  
the dream. Tried to free herself from the confusing and strangely horrifying  
images.  
  
*Mulder, only not really Mulder, holding on to a young boy's arm with a  
blank look in his eyes and a vaguely familiar man pointing a gun at him.*  
  
*Scully, but not really Scully, grabbing a man by the throat.*  
  
*Scully, standing in the desert, looking up at a bright light in the dark  
sky*  
  
*Mulder, in some sort of examination chair, yelling Scully's name.*  
  
*Scully, lying on a linoleum floor, crying next to a puddle of a strange  
green substance.*  
  
*Mulder, surrounded by identical men, still in the chair staring up at  
nothing.*  
  
****  
  
Chloe Alexander shot upright in bed, her eyes wide and her breathing  
erratic. "Something is *seriously* wrong." she informed the darkened room.  
  
Even as the words left her mouth, Chloe's own sarcastic nature let loose  
with a 'well, duh, when isn't something seriously wrong with those two?!'  
  
Freeing her legs from the mangled bed clothes, Chloe got up and slipped into  
her bathrobe. Already the psychologist in her was analysing the dream  
vision.  
  
As she dug around for her slippers, Chloe's mind tried to put a name to the  
unknown man holding the gun on Mulder. Well, the Mulder look alike.  
  
"I know I've seen that guy before..." the clairvoyant muttered yanking on  
the slippers.  
  
Walking into the kitchen, she put a saucepan on the stove and headed for the  
refrigerator to get the chocolate milk.  
  
Chloe'd just closed the fridge door when someone knocked on her door. Milk  
in hand, the FBI agent walked out to peer through the peephole. Surprise  
registered on her face and she released the deadbolt then yanked open the  
door.  
  
"Dana?!" Concern written across her face, the taller woman pulled Scully  
inside and closed the door. "What is it? Come in, sit down."  
  
Emotionally and physically drained, the petite redhead let Chloe guide her  
into the living room and relieve her of her coat before urging her to sit on  
the couch. Scully wasn't sure exactly why she'd come. The reason she kept  
telling herself was that Chloe needed to hear about Mulder from someone who  
understood the friendship she shared with Dana's partner. But the logical  
part of her said Chloe'd probably already been contacted by Doggett's team.  
Another part of her argued that if she hadn't, then Chloe deserved warning.  
  
Deep down though, Dana knew she'd come to Chloe because Chloe, aside from  
Skinner and the Lone Gunmen, was the only one left she could trust.  
  
Sitting down next to her, Chloe reached out to touch her friend's hand.  
"What happened?"  
  
Despite herself, tears welled up in Scully's eyes. "They..they..."  
  
The other woman didn't have to ask. She knew who 'they' were. As the pieces  
started to fall into place, she spoke gently. "Took Mulder?"  
  
Not trusting her voice, Dana nodded and looked down at her lap.  
  
Pain lancing in her own heart, Chloe pulled the redhead into a hug. It  
wasn't much but it was all the comfort she could offer. Assurances were  
useless. They couldn't be sure Mulder was still on the planet, never mind in  
the country. At that moment, the only thing they could be sure of was that  
he was still alive. At least, Chloe was sure. Scully...that was another  
story.  
  
It might not have been much in Chloe's eyes but that simple hug was a  
lifeline to Dana.  
  
Somewhere in her the dam broke and her emotions flooded out. It had been one  
thing to cry in Doggett's arms, it was another to share the maelstrom with  
someone who understood. Someone who was, no doubt, experiencing one quite  
similar. After all, Chloe thought of Mulder as another brother. Doggett  
barely knew him.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, Chloe stroked Dana's hair in a decidedly  
mothering manner as she cried softly herself.  
  
Together, they made a heartbreaking picture. The woman Mulder considered his  
best friend and the woman he'd all but adopted as a sister, trying to  
comfort each other while trying to deal with their own private pain.  
  
****  
  
When the tears subsided, Chloe stood and got a box of tissues. The two women  
shared weak smiles as they dried their faces and lightly blew their noses.  
  
"Do you think you can help me find him?" Dana asked, her voice husky from  
crying. "You've been able to help us before."  
  
"Through a vision you mean?"  
  
At Scully's nod, Chloe looked thoughtful. "Well, I did have a dream tonight.  
Given the nature of its contents I believe it was a vision. It was about  
Fox."  
  
"What did you see!?" Dana sat up in an alert posture, blue eyes fixed  
intently on her friend's face.  
  
Forcing herself to try and relax, Chloe sat back and tried to objectively  
relate the images and sounds she'd experienced in her vision. When she was  
done, the clairvoyant looked at the other agent and waited for her reaction.  
  
"He was...He knew...I..." Dana rested her face in shaking hands. "Oh God..."  
  
Reaching out, Chloe rubbed Scully's shoulder gently. "Good idea, a little  
prayer wouldn't hurt."  
  
A faint smile ghosted across the redhead's face as she sat back to look at  
the other woman.  
  
"Dana...The important thing isn't that you may have missed saving Mulder;  
the important thing is that we know he's alive. Besides, what could one  
pregnant woman do against a ship full of aliens? Hormone them to death?"  
Chloe grinned for a moment then her face grew serious once more. "Right now,  
and I know Fox would agree, your priority has to be keeping yourself and  
your baby safe. Let us worry about tracking Mulder down."  
  
Dana looked pained. "But I..."  
  
"You can't sit idly by, I know. No one said you had to." Chloe smiled  
gently. "Let me help; let Skinner help. Heck, call the Lone Gunmen! You  
aren't alone here."  
  
The redheaded woman started to speak then paused, staring at her friend.  
"Wait a minute, I never told you I was pregnant!"  
  
Chloe grinned. "You also never told me that they kept you in the hospital to  
make sure you were all right. I'm psychic, remember? I saw it in my vision  
tonight." At the skeptical look Dana gave her, the profiler laughed. "Well I  
did! You and Skinner were talking. He mentioned it." She paused then shook  
her head. "After all the times I've helped you, had you ask for that help,  
when it comes to you personally, you're still not a hundred percent  
convinced of my Gift. Ever the skeptic, aren't you?"  
  
A wry smile graced Scully's face. "Not as much as Agent Doggett."  
  
The sentence seemed to come out of nowhere for Chloe and she blinked in  
confusion. "Excuse me?"  
  
"The Agent in charge of the task force looking for Mulder. You haven't been  
contacted by them?"  
  
"I may have." Chloe shrugged. "I've been down with the flu for about a week,  
just got over it yesterday. I haven't been in to work since last Tuesday and  
I've kept my phone unplugged. Had a splitting headache so the sound of the  
phone ringing was *not* something I wanted to deal with. I take it they're  
interviewing anyone closely connected to Fox?"  
  
Scully nodded. "Oh yeah. Especially after files disappeared out of the  
office."  
  
That led to a brief explanation of some of the events Scully had lived  
through. That explanation also led to more questions.  
  
"Chloe..." Dana paused before plunging ahead. "Did you know Mulder was  
sick?"  
  
"Sick?" The curly-haired woman frowned. "No. As far as I know he wasn't sick  
at all. Why?"  
  
Keeping a cautious eye on Chloe's facial expressions, Scully recounted the  
evidence Doggett had uncovered. All of it, including the headstone.  
  
When she was done, disbelief and shock were warring for control of the  
clairvoyant's face. "Dana...I don't know how convincing that evidence  
looked...but Fox never said a word about being sick to me, and we've never  
kept secrets from each other. I don't think...no I can't believe he was! He  
would've told me! And you!" She shrugged. "And I don't know *where* that  
headstone came from but Mulder never bought it. That's something I think  
he'd know better than to try and hide from me."  
  
Nodding, Dana couldn't help but feel relief flood through her. She'd never  
believed it herself but hearing someone else voice their own disbelief  
somehow validated her own opinion.  
  
"Doggett..." The name finally registered with Chloe and she looked over at  
her friend. "John Doggett?"  
  
Scully nodded. "You know him?"  
  
"Sort of." Chloe shrugged. "Mulder and I worked a case in New York a few  
years ago. One of the detectives working the case was named John Doggett. We  
didn't have much in the way of contact with him but I do remember him.  
Sounds like he's originally from the south with a bit of NYC accent tossed  
in for flavour? Kind of an intense guy?"  
  
"Yes, he's...been assigned as my new partner, until Mulder gets back." That  
last part was added with a fierce determination then Dana paused then looked  
over at her. "Thank you, Chloe."  
  
The clairvoyant grinned even as her mind tried to wrap around the bombshell  
Scully had just dropped. "No problem, hon." Deciding to put it aside for  
now, she surveyed her friend critically. "Stay here tonight, Dana. You look  
wiped. I was just about to warm some chocolate milk. Have a mug with me then  
I'll get you set up in the guest room."  
  
Rising, Chloe brushed a hand across Scully's shoulder as she headed into the  
kitchen. She'd intended to go back to work the next day anyway. But *now*  
she had every intention of going to work and finding Agent John  
Doggett...and smacking him six ways from Sunday.  
  
And she was going to *enjoy* it. 


	2. Shall Be Changed

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters in this story nor do I  
own the concepts of XF, just borrowing them for awhile. Chloe I do own  
and believe me, you wouldn't want her, that girl is a handful!   
  
Category: AU  
  
Keywords: Pre & Post Ep fic, OC, Skinner/Other UST, angst, comfort  
  
Spoilers: Season 8 up to Patience  
  
Author's Notes: This is a sequel to the story Those That Remain. The  
line that the 2 titles are drawn from is a contemporary Christian song  
called The Midnight Cry. The line goes "and Those That Remain, Shall  
Be Changed." I refer to it in that after Mulder's disappearance, the  
characters go through a change of their own in that they all take on  
new roles and grow beyond the limitations they'd previously set for  
themselves.   
  
Thanks to Azar for the beta!!!   
  
Shall Be Changed  
by M. Edison  
---------------------  
The morning after her late-night chat with Dana, Chloe rose early and  
dressed quickly. Her mind was already fixed on her goal.  
  
A glance in the guest room told her that her friend was still sleeping.  
Good. Dana needed the rest.  
  
After leaving a note to Dana that her breakfast was being kept warm in the  
oven, Chloe grabbed her briefcase and overcoat then hurried out of the  
apartment.  
  
She had an appointment to keep.  
  
-----------------  
J. Edgar Hoover Building  
-----------------  
The way to the basement office was one that Chloe was intimately familiar  
with. She'd come this way many times before, both with her friends and  
without. Standing in the elevator, she could almost see Mulder next to her.  
She pictured him leaning against the wall with a grin on his face as he told  
her some bizarre story meant to either disgust her horribly or send her into  
fits of laughter. Usually both.  
  
Her throat tightened and tears threatened to spill. Lowering her head, Chloe  
's dark red wavy hair fell around her face like a privacy curtain as she  
tried to force the tears away. The last thing she needed was to face John  
Doggett looking like a blubbering idiot.  
  
-----------------  
  
When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Chloe fixed her ID,  
pushed her hair back, and strode down the hallway to the office. Without  
knocking, she opened the door to find the man from her vision--the man she'd  
met only in passing--ensconced at Mulder's desk, engrossed in a file.  
  
"Interesting reading?" She asked in a clipped voice.  
  
-----------------  
  
Doggett almost jumped when the woman spoke. She hadn't bothered to knock or  
announce her presence, and when he looked up he knew why.  
  
Special Agent Chloe Alexander. Former coworker of Mulder's in the ISU and  
reported good friend, also one of the few contacts of Mulder's he'd yet to  
interview.  
  
Oh well, better late than never.  
  
"As a matter of fact," he flipped the file folder shut and reached out for  
another one. A file without an X-File number, just a name. Chloe Alexander's  
name. "Very interestin'. Y'know, Agent Alexander, you're a hard lady to get  
ahold of."  
  
She smiled tightly. "It's a skill."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, a vaguely sardonic smile lighting his face. "Let me  
guess, you had a psychic flash that told you about my investigation? Or did  
Agent Scully get ahold of you to warn you?"  
  
"Neither." The female agent dropped into the chair before him, a calculating  
look in her eyes. "I was sick, therefore incommunicado, I have spoken to  
Agent Scully, but not until last night. She told me a most...intriguing  
story."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Mmhmmm.." Chloe nodded. "You tried to play profiler I'm told...get inside  
her head."  
  
"Yeah." He shrugged. "Standard procedure." Surprise registered on his face  
when Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Somethin' wrong, Agent Alexander?"  
  
"Forgive my suspicions, Agent Doggett, but the last time a temporary partner  
was assigned to the X-Files, he turned out to be a cold-blooded killer."  
  
Krycek. Doggett'd read about that guy. Hell, he'd read a profile on Krycek  
written by the very woman sitting before him. "I'm no killer, and I'm nobody  
's puppet."  
  
"As it turned out," Chloe noted smoothly. "He was nobody's puppet either.  
And I hope you don't expect me to take your word on that...especially not  
after the little fib to Dana."  
  
"Fib?"  
  
"You told her about 'the rumors'. What rumors are those, pray tell? You see  
Agent Doggett,there aren't many people in the FBI that Fox Mulder trusts and  
confides in, or in the world for that matter. In fact, I can think of two,  
three if you include AD Skinner, and those two are myself and Dana Scully.  
If you *really* knew him you'd know that. And you'd also know there is very  
little about Fox Mulder that she or I don't know."  
  
"You sure about that."  
  
"Completely." Chloe's green eyes stared steadily into his and, for a moment,  
John Doggett saw how deeply this was affecting her. Saw the hurt, the anger,  
the concern...and the fear. A whole lot of fear.  
  
She was terrified Mulder wasn't coming back.  
  
"I'm not the bad guy here, Agent Alexander." He reiterated with a  
considerably gentler tone. "I'm here to do a job...A bizarre job, but a job  
nonetheless. I'm gonna find Agent Mulder, that I promise you. I don't care  
*who* took him--aliens or the guys that pull Krycek's strings--I *will* find  
him. Regardless of what you or Agent Scully think of me."  
  
Rising from her chair, Chloe nodded stiffly. "Don't try anything like that  
with her again...or being assigned to the X-Files will be a bonus for your  
career in comparison to where you'll end up."  
  
John looked up at her. "Ma'am, if I pull something like that again, I'll ask  
for that reassignment myself."  
  
-----------------  
  
When Agent Alexander left the office, Doggett looked down at the file before  
him. Mulder had been very detailed in documenting her so-called visions. He'  
d also included the results of tests Agent Scully had run on the clairvoyant  
FBI agent.  
  
All in all, quite impressive. He was no doctor, but even he had to admit the  
results looked legitimate.  
  
Leaning back in his seat, the FBI agent contemplated the chair Agent  
Alexander had vacated moments before. It seemed as if Agent Scully had no  
shortage of protectors. First Assistant Director Skinner, now Agent  
Alexander...  
  
Sighing, Doggett closed the file again.  
  
Damn weird assignment...  
  
But then, what was there about the X-Files that wasn't weird?  
  
Reading through the files had given him a glimpse of what his predecessor  
and Agent Scully had faced over the course of their partnership, if you  
believed the reports. It made for pretty sensational reading.  
  
But the problem was, it was only the bare bones. Sanitized accounts of what  
had actually taken place. They didn't carry the feelings or frank thoughts  
of the agents who'd written them.  
  
"I need a cup of coffee," he decided as he rose to put the files away.  
"Clear my head."  
  
-----------------  
  
Smiling faintly at the secretary assigned to her and the other agents in the  
office block , Chloe walked into her office, quietly instructing her to hold  
all incoming calls.  
  
Having heard about Agent Mulder's disappearance, and knowing how close Chloe  
was to him, Karen smiled sympathetically at her boss and nodded. She had a  
hunch Agent Scully'd been to visit Chloe the night before and the reaction  
was finally settling in.  
  
As usual, Karen's knowledge of her employer was spot on. By the time the  
door closed behind her, tears were already running down her cheeks.  
  
"Oh God..." The simple prayer slipped from the profiler's lips as she  
reached for the photo of herself, Fox and Dana that sat on her desk--taken  
the first time she'd convinced them to attend a church picnic with her. She  
traced the smiling faces. Remembering.  
  
-----------------  
May 24, 1997  
A Park Near D.C.  
------------------  
  
"I can't believe you two convinced me to come to this thing." Fox Mulder  
grumbled good-naturedly as Chloe and Dana dragged him from Chloe's car.  
  
"Oh, quit whining, Fox." The taller redheaded agent grinned cheerfully at  
him. "It's a church picnic, completely harmless. Unless you count the old  
ladies who'll try to introduce you to their single granddaughters."  
  
"Relax Mulder," her partner in crime chimed in sweetly. "We promise not to  
baptize you when you're not looking."  
  
"We're still gonna do the prayer circle right?" Chloe asked, leaning behind  
Mulder's back in an exaggerated stage whisper.  
  
Dana grinned back. "Oh yeah, plus the exorcism."  
  
"Definitely can't forget that," her friend agreed with a snicker.  
  
"You two are kidding, right?" Mulder looked from one redhead to the other.  
  
Both Chloe and Dana looked back with looks of angelic innocence on their  
faces.  
  
"Right?"  
  
"Sure Mulder." His partner patted his shoulder. "We're kidding."  
  
"Somehow I doubt that, Scully."  
  
"You're paranoid, Mulder." Dana responded with a wry grin.  
  
"Ah, but am I paranoid enough?"  
  
His two female companions shook their heads and laughed.  
  
------------------  
Present day.  
-------------------  
Chloe set the picture down with numb fingers as tears turned to sobs.  
  
Despite her certain belief that her friend was alive, that he would come  
back alive, the fear and pain of his absence coupled with memories of her  
own kidnapping was just too much to bear.  
  
Standing there with her face in her hands, sobbing, Chloe barely noticed  
when the door opened and someone walked in. Logic said it was someone she  
knew well--Karen was a bear when it came to her privacy.  
  
There was a moment of hesitation then she was pulled into a comforting  
embrace.  
  
Grateful for the support, Chloe rested her head against a solid chest and  
cried brokenly.  
  
Nothing was said, only comfort offered and gratefully received.  
  
When her tears had subsided, she pulled away and a faint blush tinged her  
cheeks at the discovery of who stood before her.  
  
"Assistant Director Skinner..." She drew up to her full height and tried to  
meet his gaze steadily  
despite her embarrassment. "Can I help you?"  
  
He gave her a small smile, accompanied by an encouraging look. "Not really.  
I came down to see...to see how you were handling Mulder's...disappearance."  
  
It was a nice sentiment but Chloe could also tell it wasn't his only reason  
for being there.  
  
"I'm a wreck," she replied honestly. "But I'm coping. What about you?"  
  
His reaction to her question confirmed the profiler's suspicions. Skinner  
was having a harder time managing all of what he'd experienced than he was  
letting on.  
  
"Sir, Dana--Agent Scully--stayed at my apartment last night. She told me  
everything."  
  
That statement earned her a wary look from the tall Assistant Director.  
"Everything?"  
  
"I know about the baby if that's what you're wondering." She knew it was a  
blunt statement but Chloe was never one for dancing around a subject.  
"I...hmm...I had a..." All right, so there were some subjects she *did*  
dance around.  
  
"A vision?" Skinner put the word in for her and waited for the red-haired  
woman's nod. When it came he accepted it with a nod of his own.  
  
He'd never been too accepting of Agent Alexander's 'gift' despite Mulder's  
insistence upon its validity. Now, with every thing that had happened over  
the last few weeks--Mulder's abduction and the events in Arizona--suddenly  
he found himself questioning all of the things he'd formerly dismissed out  
of hand. Like Chloe Alexander's supposed clairvoyance.  
  
Watching him, Chloe could see the internal struggle and she couldn't help  
reaching out to touch his arm. "Forgive me for saying this, Sir...but you  
seem troubled. It's hard to face, isn't it? The possibility of being wrong."  
  
He looked into her face in surprise and saw her empathy there. "You mean..."  
  
The redhead chuckled. "That I'm only recently beginning to completely  
believe Fox's theories? Believe in aliens? You betcha...it was never  
something I could quite bring myself to swallow. But now..."  
  
"You don't have much of a choice," Skinner agreed. "I'm sure you're aware of  
my..."  
  
"Resistance to anything paranormal, including my purported clairvoyant  
abilities?" Chloe gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs before her  
desk while she settled into the other one. "Oh yeah. I know." She grinned.  
"Who do you think he vented to when Dana booted him out of the office?"  
  
"Booted him?" The eyebrow went up and a vague smile hinted at the edges of  
the Assistant Director's mouth.  
  
"Oh yeah. Dana Scully has a lot of patience when it comes to Fox Mulder but  
even she has her breaking point. And when she reached it, he'd show up in my  
office with two packs of sunflower seeds, one shelled and one not, plus a  
few sodas and we'd have a snack while he vented." She chuckled. "Closest  
thing to therapy he ever got, or probably ever will get. Fox has never been  
too supportive of that suggestion."  
  
"You wanted him to have therapy?" Skinner queried with a surprised look.  
  
"Sure I did," Chloe answered with a nod. "Sir, I was a lot older than Fox  
when I was kidnapped and I still needed therapy to sort everything out. Yes,  
my end of the experience was probably more traumatic than being the one left  
behind, but nevertheless, Fox has never really dealt with the disappearance  
of Samantha. And, whether he likes it or not, that does affect how he  
approaches life."  
  
"The recklessness?"  
  
"That too. Not to mention how he relates to authority figures and women ."  
The profiler smiled wryly at the man sitting before her."Which I'm sure  
you're quite aware of--the former anyway."  
  
The Assistant Director couldn't help but grin back. "No doubts there, Agent  
Alexander."  
  
"Chloe." She corrected automatically.  
  
He looked at her curiously and she realized she'd spoken aloud. A tinge of  
red darkened her cheeks.  
  
"I, uh, tend to get very annoyed with the FBI's love of bureaucracy,  
especially when it comes to titles." Regaining her composure, the redhead  
picked at a piece of lint on her pants. "Guess I've worked with one too many  
good ole' boys."  
  
A picture of how she probably dealt with those agents appeared in Walter's  
mind and he couldn't help but chuckle wryly. "I'm sure they 'd learned their  
lessons by the time you were done with them."  
  
A hint of Chloe's mischievous nature shone through in her eyes as she  
grinned back at him. "Well, I don't know if they learned their lessons but  
they definitely learned I can be quite the handful when annoyed." Leaning  
forward, as if confiding some great secret, she winked. "It's the red hair.  
Can't help myself."  
  
The unexpected joke brought a laugh from the Assistant Director who shook  
his head at the mercurial woman sitting before him. "That would be one  
explanation for it yes." he countered, shaking his head. "Though, I prefer  
Agent Mulder's description."  
  
"And dare I ask what that is?" Chloe asked with a bemused smile.  
  
"A natural-born troublemaker," came the calm response.  
  
"And just *when* did he say that?"  
  
"On more than one occasion." Skinner's smile widened ever so slightly.  
"Always to Agent Scully. I just happened to overhear."  
  
"Yeah...right." Chloe grinned. "Nice try, Sir, but I know Fox. He'd tell  
anybody that'd listen, save the Cigarette Smoking Man...No, he'd probably  
tell him too." She shook her head at the last bit and laughed softly before  
her expression sobered. "Now that we've thoroughly danced around it, feel  
like talking about what brought you down here?"  
  
"I thought we'd covered that," Skinner countered. "And if I have to call you  
Chloe then you have to call me Walter.'  
  
She smiled and nodded. "All right, Sir I mean Walter." Blushing briefly,  
she continued on. "Why don't you start by telling me *exactly* what you  
saw..."  
  
-----------------  
Doggett's Hospital Room  
A few weeks later...  
------------------  
  
Opening his eyes, John Doggett's first real thought was that his neck  
itched. Correction--the bandages on his neck itched. His neck *hurt.*  
  
Automatically he reached up to touch the gauze, tracing the outline of it  
with a slow hand. It brought back blurred memories of...his attacker.  
Looking at things in the light of day he wasn't sure whether or not the  
creature was a man-bat--or whatever the hell the locals called it--but he  
certainly wasn't going to doubt it was the killer. Which is why he kept  
trying to convince himself that they'd gotten it. With both Agent Scully and  
he shooting...one of them had to have hit it.  
  
It was dead.  
  
"Right..." he muttered dryly to himself.  
  
Coughing and trying to clear his throat, John reached for the jug of water  
sitting on the table across his bed and filled a glass. After taking a few  
sips, he set the glass aside and hit the call button.  
  
There was one thing John Doggett hated with a passion and that was being  
cooped up in a hospital bed when there was no need for him to be there.  
  
And in his opinion, there was no reason for him to be in this bed staring at  
the four walls.  
  
The door opened and he started to complain. "When can I..."  
  
"Get out of that bed?" Chloe Alexander asked with a wry smile. "Just as soon  
as the doctors decide you're okay to leave Agent Doggett."  
  
Sitting up, Doggett stared in surprise at the last person he expected to see  
in his hospital room. "Agent Alexander?! You lost or somethin'?"  
  
Chloe, having the good grace to be chagrined at his shocked reaction to her  
presence, looked away at the window for a moment before wandering over to  
pick at the blanket on the bed next to his. "Didn't get a private room,  
huh?"  
  
Sensing her discomfort, John - ever the gentleman - tried to put her at ease  
and chuckled. "On the government's tab? You delusional there, Agent  
Alexander?"  
  
"Some have said so," the redhead responded with a wry smile, glancing over  
at him through her hair. "They're the ones who tell me I'm letting Mulder's  
paranoia rub off. They might be right there." Pulling herself up onto the  
empty bed, Chloe rested her hands on either side of her and worked very hard  
to meet his eyes steadily. "Dana...er, Agent Scully tells me you saved her  
life."  
  
Now it was Doggett's turn to be uncomfortable and he looked down at a piece  
of fuzz on the blanket covering his legs. "More like she saved mine."  
  
"Not the way she tells it." Chloe sucked in a deep breath and bit at her  
lower lip slightly. "It appears, Agent Doggett, I may have been more than a  
little hasty in my judgment of you - its really not like me, I must admit,  
but I did it nevertheless." Seeing him about to open his mouth to argue, she  
held up a hand to forestall any comments. "Yeah, you might have made a  
mistake, but I went off the deep end when it came to my reaction - I  
certainly had no right to march into that office and threaten your career.  
You seem to have proved me wrong...now, this doesn't mean you have my  
complete and total trust, that you have to earn." She exhaled and blushed  
slightly. "But it does earn you an apology on my part."  
  
That said, she hopped down off the bed and hurried toward the door, aiming  
to get out before he could recover from the shocked look on his face and say  
something. At the last moment, she paused at the door and turned to look  
back at him, an impish grin lighting her face. "Welcome to the X-Files,  
Agent Doggett. Hope your insurance is paid up, and you might want to get  
over that intense dislike of hospitals. With this assignment, you'll  
certainly see enough of them." With that, she ducked out, letting the door  
swing shut behind her.  
  
There was a long silence after that, with a very confused John Doggett  
staring at the door in shock. When he finally snapped out of it, and  
realized that yes - Agent Alexander had just walked in to his hospital room.  
And yes, she had apologized to him before quickly leaving.  
  
Processing her warning, the FBI agent shook his head and sighed before  
speaking to the empty room.  
  
"Damn weird assignment...and I ain't talkin' about the cases either. Damn  
strange people...But I think I like 'em."  
  
Finis 


	3. Worth The Price

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters in this story nor do I own  
the concepts of XF, just borrowing them for awhile. Chloe I do own and  
believe me, you wouldn't want her, that girl is a handful!  
  
Category: AU  
  
Keywords: Post Ep, OC, Skinner/Other mentioned, Doggettfic, DUA,  
  
Spoilers: Season 9 up to Trust No One.  
  
Author's note: The title comes from the Duncan Sheik song "Barely  
Breathing".  
  
Also, in this fic, I put forward a couple controversial ideas. One of which  
(the PPD one) was not one born of my brain. It belongs two a couple dear  
friends who shared it with the SHODDs mailing list (waves at said  
nameless friends) The second concept (the source of the emails) is my own  
interpretation of Trust No 1. An ep in which, in my opinion, some damn  
stupid risks were taken. Ones completely out of line with who the characters  
have presented themselves to be. (Yep. I mean Scully *G*. Correction. Dana.  
Think Chris Carter'd bring Scully back if we asked real nice? *grin*)  
  
Thus, on with the fic!  
  
  
Worth The Price  
by M.  
----------  
  
The knock on his door surprised John Doggett but seeing who was standing on  
the other side surprised him even more.  
  
"Chloe?"  
  
The redheaded profiler flashed a smile at him from beneath her umbrella.  
"Hey John, sorry to just show up like this but . . . " She sighed. "It's  
about Dana . . . I just . . . " Another sigh. "Nevermind."  
  
Before she could leave, he reached out and caught her arm. "Wanna cup of  
coffee? You look like an icicle."  
  
Looking back at him, she lowered the umbrella and smiled gratefully. "I've  
love one."  
  
---  
  
"So . . . " He spoke slowly as he dumped coffee into the percolator. "What's  
got you so flustered?"  
  
"You mean what could be wrong with Dana that I'd drive out here in the  
pouring rain without calling first then nearly lose my nerve and leave  
again?" She pulled her hair free of its ponytail, shaking out the raindrops.  
"It's a few things actually . . . I . . . I didn't want to dump this on  
Walter. Not yet. Not until I've put the pieces together . . . " She lowered  
her gaze to the counter before her. "Which is why I came here."  
  
He turned to look at her, watching as her hands traced patterns on the  
smooth surface. "Chlo?"  
  
She jumped, her gaze lifting to his. "Yeah?"  
  
"Can't help you if you don't tell me."  
  
She flushed and straightened. "Sorry . . . it's just . . . I hate living  
this way sometimes."  
  
"This way?"  
  
"Knowing that sometimes, when something goes bump in the night, that there  
actually may be a monster there. That there are factions in the government  
that truly can't be trusted, that the boogeyman really does exist only he  
looks like any other guy and might be the one flipping your burgers." Chloe  
shuddered out a sigh. "I'm not good with paranoia. I never really was. But  
being a friend of Fox Mulder meant it was a part of life." She smiled  
faintly. "I mean, when my fiancé died . . . Mike . . . I actually wondered  
if it wasn't *them* trying to hurt me or get to me somehow." A shake of her  
head. "It changed how I look at everything . . . "  
  
"And you're wondering if whatever you think's wrong with Dana might be your  
own paranoia?" John leaned back against the other counter, folding his arms  
across his lean torso before shaking his head. "No, I don't buy it. You've  
got a healthy dose of paranoia yeah, but around this stuff, it's like you  
said, expected. If you're worried about Scully, I'm willing to bet there's a  
damn good reason for it."  
  
The redhead mustered up another grateful smile. "Thanks."  
  
A small smile formed on his face. "No problem."  
  
There was a long pause then she grinned sheepishly. "I should talk or  
something, huh?"  
  
"It'd be a help: my mind readin' skills ain't what they used to be."  
  
She snickered then stepped away from the counter, she had a habit of pacing  
when she was talking and this was no different. "Dana's been acting  
strange."  
  
"Tell me about it." Doggett muttered, watching her move.  
  
Stopping in her tracks, the other FBI agent gave him a look then continued  
to speak. "You haven't seen her with the baby as much as I have and . . .  
well . . . she's stiff with him."  
  
"Stiff?"  
  
"Yeah, stilted. Like she doesn't know what to do. Like she's afraid picking  
him up will hurt him . . . not to mention, she's concerned that something's  
.. . . wrong with him." She frowned deeply, concerned. "There's a lot more  
to it than that obviously, I've observed a lot of symptoms and they really  
do add up to . . . I mean it's definitely a possibility though, it could be  
.. . . "  
  
"Chloe!"  
  
John's firm voice interrupted her monologue and she turned to face him,  
seemingly started by the interruption like she'd forgotten he was there.  
Which, knowing her, was entirely possible.  
  
"I think she might have a mild case of Post Partum . . . "  
  
He frowned deeply and took a step forward. "As in depression?" Her head  
bobbed in a quick nod and that seemed to make his frown deepen. "You're  
sure?"  
  
"Well, I'm not an expert in it. You don't often see it entering the  
forensic area; though it's happened a few times." She forced a hand through  
her loose curls and returned to the counter. "If you're asking for a  
professional opinion, I'd feel more comfortable having someone experienced  
in diagnosing and treating the condition examine her. But, my instincts tell  
me it's a very strong possibility."  
  
"Have you talked about this with her?"  
  
The redhead shook her head. "No. Dana's not going to take kindly to this. If  
she does have Post Partum, her judgement could be impaired and me bringing  
this to her? She'll freak. Her emotions have been out of whack lately and  
this is guaranteed to throw them out even more . . . " She sighed, leaning  
her forearms on the counter. "I'd like to have more support when I do."  
  
"What about her mother?"  
  
"I plan on talking to her but . . . " She shrugged. "I came here first."  
  
Somewhere in the back of his mind the fact her instinctive reaction was to  
talk to him registered and responded with a surge of affection for the  
woman, he'd come to see her as a kid sister, but at that moment, his  
attention was focused elsewhere. "I'm no expert on this stuff either but I'  
ve learned your instincts are usually damn close if not spot on . . . "  
  
The scent of the perked coffee that had been wafting around them finally  
drew him back to the machine. He poured them both a cup then nudged the  
cream and sugar closer to Chloe, who added liberal amounts of both to the  
steaming liquid. "How bad a case do you think she could have?"  
  
"As far as I can tell? Mild." She sighed. "I'm praying its mild . . . "  
  
"And if it's not?" He held his cup in one hand, clutching it tightly, as she  
looked down into hers; avoiding his gaze. "Chloe . . . what if it's not?"  
  
"If it's not? Some Post Partum mothers have become suicidal . . . others act  
out against the child . . . "  
  
"Like that woman down in Texas . . . murdered her kids?"  
  
"Yeah, like that." Seeing the worry in his eyes, she hurried to dismiss the  
concern. "I really don't think it's that bad John. If it was, she'd've shown  
more signs than what she'd had. Maggie would have noticed for sure. You don'  
t need a psychology degree to recognize the symptoms."  
  
He accepted that with a nod then noticed something. She was fidgeting again.  
Her fingers were playing with the handle of the cup, tracing patterns up and  
down the ceramic, running down across the counter as if playing some unknown  
symphony. "Chlo' . . . "  
  
"Yes?" She dragged out the word, not looking up.  
  
John put the coffee aside and reached out to put a finger beneath her chin,  
lifting her face up. "Chloe? What is it?"  
  
"Dana says she's been . . . " The profiler bit her lip hesitantly then  
blurted it out. "Been in contact with Mulder via email." A surge of guilt  
raced through her at the internal flinch she saw in the lean man's piercing  
blue eyes. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve what he'd been put  
through in the last year nor did he deserve everything that was being heaped  
upon him now. She and Dana didn't disagree often but they'd had a few over  
John Doggett.  
  
Once Chloe Alexander sided with someone she became their champion and fought  
to the end. She'd done it more times than she could count with Fox, and a  
few times with Dana. She'd argued tooth and nail with Walter a few times, a  
fact he now teased her about relentlessly, and one big blow out with Deputy  
Director Kersh. He hadn't been the Deputy then though. She knew with her  
arrest record she had a great deal more leniency than some agents but she  
wouldn't push it that far. She wasn't irreplaceable and she knew it.  
  
But when she thought she had a fight she went for it.  
  
"Regular contact." He muttered darkly, turning away from the woman before  
him and forcing down the irrational anger. He'd suspected that Dana had the  
means to speak with Mulder if needs be but he hadn't thought they'd actually  
been conversing regularly. It was his fault, he knew, for believing that  
they'd save it as an emergency measure. His fault . . .  
  
His hands gripped the counter tightly, his knuckles white, and he lowered  
his head. "How?" Silently he prayed the Lone Gunmen were behind it. That the  
boys were protecting every communication that they wouldn't have been so  
stupid as to . . .  
  
"She's got an online account. She visits a cyber cafe to check it. According  
to her, Mulder's doing the same thing."  
  
Shit.  
  
He growled in frustration. "Does she have any idea . . . " He shook his head  
almost viciously. "She should know better Chlo'. That's *damn* stupid! She'd  
be safer contactin' him from her home computer, hell she'd be better off  
emailin' him from Quantico!"  
  
"I don't think it's him." The profiler dropped her bombshell quietly and he  
turned slowly, incredulous eyes meeting hers.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't think it's him." Chloe repeated softly.  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"She told me about the emails after . . . " She sighed. "After the near miss  
with 'Mulder' and that Super Soldier." She lifted her cup to her lips,  
deliberately taking longer to drink than usual. She needed the time to  
compose her thoughts. "I wanted to know what he'd said to her on the phone.  
What had convinced her of his validity." Her teeth worried at her bottom lip  
for a moment. "She told me that he'd told her he knew about the emails,  
where she'd been sending them from and even what they said. When I wanted to  
know more, she showed them to me."  
  
She pushed herself to her feet and pulled folded papers out of the pocket of  
her jeans. "I read them very carefully John. I read them several times. Over  
and over. I made copies so I could think it over, compare them to emails he'  
d sent me. The tone is different but you'd expect that considering who he  
was sending them too . . . " She placed the papers on the counter and then  
looked up at him. "But when I read them . . . I can't convince myself their  
author was Fox Mulder. I've tried to; I really have. I've lost sleep arguing  
with myself over this." She pursed her lips and lowered her gaze again, her  
thick hair falling around her face, hiding it. "But whoever wrote those  
emails isn't the man I've known for the past decade. I can't believe that it  
's him. As a psychologist or as his friend."  
  
Doggett looked at the folded papers as if he were staring at a poisonous  
snake. Everything in him told him it was wrong to read them. Chloe had been  
given the permission to read them. She'd been allowed. He suspected that if  
Dana had known she would bring them to him, Chloe Alexander would have been  
very swiftly shut out of the 'inner circle' that Scully had surrounded  
herself with.  
  
But he had no choice. After Mulder had returned, John'd promised himself  
that he would never slack in his vigilance over her safety. No matter what.  
  
Well, no matter what was now staring him in the face.  
  
"Have you talked to the boys?" He questioned bluntly, his hand resting on  
the papers.  
  
"I called Byers this morning." She confessed. "I told him what cafe and what  
computer. They promise they're going to check it out."  
  
His gaze bored into hers and she nodded. "Yes, I asked him not to tell her."  
  
  
Chloe's green eyes grew suspiciously damp and she paced away, shoving her  
hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I can't believe I'm doing this to  
her." She whispered painfully. "I promised . . . I promised Fox I'd be  
there for her. I promised I'd look out for her. I promised . . . "  
  
"You are lookin' out for her, Chlo'," He argued earnestly. "You'd be  
negligent if you hadn't followed up on this. You're the only one who was as  
close to Mulder as Dana. You've known him longer. You're the only one who  
could have noticed this. She's not thinking clearly when it comes t'Mulder  
and we both know it."  
  
"I just . . . " She sniffed. "I wish it was him. I wish, just this one, they  
had this." She turned. "But I . . . I know it's not. None of this is right,  
John. None of it." She thumped a fist against the wall. "Krycek was right."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her and waited.  
  
"He told me once . . . He told me I was like Cassandra of Troy." She slid  
down the wall to sit on the floor, resting her head back against the  
paneling. "I'm in the midst of it all and I can't stop any of it. I see it  
happening but in the end, no matter what I do . . . they always end up in  
shambles."  
  
"Not this time." John promised, crouching next to her with the emails in  
hand. "Not this time."  
  
Finis 


End file.
